Creating composite structures, such as composite helicopter rotor blades, sometime requires a costly and time consuming process comprising predetermining appropriate dimensions of a material ply and/or stack of material plies for application to a layup tool. In some cases, the predetermining appropriate dimensions for a material ply and/or stack of material plies comprises converting a complex three-dimensional surface area into an appropriately shaped and sized flat pattern. A material ply and/or a stack of material plies sized and shaped in accordance with the flat pattern may be configured to overlay the entirety of the complex three-dimensional surface area when appropriately oriented relative to the layup tool and when in continuous abutment with the complex three-dimensional surface area of the layup tool. Subsequently applied material plies and/or stacks of material plies may further be sized and shaped relative to previously applied material plies and/or stacks of material plies in addition to the complex three-dimensional surface area of the layup tool. In some cases, placing the material plies and/or stacks of material plies comprising the above-described flat patterns may require the use of a laser projection tool configured to project a perimeter outline of a material ply and/or stack of material plies onto the layup tool and/or already applied material plies and/or stacks of material plies. Generating flat patterns and enabling the display of laser projections onto a layup tool requires equipment and equipment programming time that may prevent quick and/or inexpensive blade construction.